Inside Toronto: Proposed fee hikes

Hockey executive urges parents to speak out

Published: February 5, 2008 06:06 PM
By: David Nickle
To read the article in the Inside Toronto

Community Development and Recreation Committee Chair Joe Mihevc knew about a recommendation to raise $2 million from a 21.5 per cent hike in permit fees for pools, sports fields and rinks two weeks ago, but chose to keep it quiet to avoid muddying public consultation on a new recreation fee policy.

“We didn’t want, especially as we were going into public consultation with the architecture of the plan, to have that debate confused by the angry parents of hockey children,” said Mihevc. “So that’s why we separated the two issues.”

Mihevc made the comments to reporters on Tuesday, the day after Toronto Councillors discovered the fee increases in one of two binders filled with 2008 budget documents. The budget has been public for about a week, but it wasn’t until councillors sat down for their first public meeting with staff Monday that the plan to increase permit fees came to light. Read More>>